Towns of Italy

An Italian operator built around its own cooking schools

Towns of Italy runs its own tours and cooking classes across Italy, and describes itself as "the only national operator present across Italy's major destinations." The about page says: "We don't simply offer tours: we design and manage every experience directly, with our own teams, activities, facilities and vehicles." It was founded in 2006 in Florence as "Florencetown" by Luca Perfetto and Urbano Brini, and the footer registers TOWNS OF ITALY SRL as a tour operator (n. 255 on the Regione Toscana register) with an Europ Assistance liability policy. The head office is at Via de' Lamberti 1 in Florence.

Tours run in Rome, Florence and Tuscany, Milan, Venice, Palermo and Sicily, Taormina and Pompeii, according to the destination menu, and the about page lists regular departures in Florence, Tuscany, Rome, Milan, Venice, Palermo, Taormina and Sicily. The company has cooking schools in Florence (Via Panicale 43r, near the Central Market) and Milan (inside Mercato Centrale), and combined "Tourist Hub & Cooking School" sites in Rome (Via Quattro Novembre 139, a few steps from the Trevi Fountain) and Palermo (Via Volturno 40, near Teatro Massimo). The homepage says its teams work "from seven offices across Italy." Prices are in euros.

The timeline on the about page runs from the first bike tour in Florence in 2007 and the first cooking school in Florence in 2008, through the Milan school in 2021 and Palermo in 2023, to the first Fiat Topolino e-car tour in 2024 and the Rome hub in 2025. The homepage says its cooking classes were "first created by us in Florence in 2006 and inspired by Nonna Wilma's kitchen."

Cooking classes

Classes run in the company's own schools in Florence, Rome, Milan and Palermo. The homepage lists Small Group Nonna's Lasagna Cooking Class in Florence with Food Market Tour (5 hr, up to 20 people, €79.20 against €99), Authentic Pizza and Gelato cooking class in Rome (3 hr, €63.20 against €79), Pasta and gelato cooking class in the heart of Rome (€59.25), Gelato and pizza making class in downtown Milan (3 hr, up to 20 people, €79.20 against €99), a Small Group Gelato and Pizza making class in Florence (€55.20), a fresh pasta and gelato class in Florence (€60), a Pasta and tiramisù class in Milan (€71.20), and in Palermo a Hands-on Sicilian Cooking Class with Local Market Tour (€107.10 against €119) and a pasta and gelato class (€67.15). In Rome there is also a Live Italian Opera & Cooking Dinner Show (2 hr, €109.65), and a private pizza and gelato class in Rome costs €189. The site pitches the classes as "perfect for families, couples, and solo travelers."

Tours, day trips and multi-day trips

The company describes its day tours as "Regular small group monolingual departures." City tours include the Skip-the-line Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel guided tour (semi-private, up to 8 people, €71.10 against €79), a small-group walking tour of Rome with the Pantheon (2.25 hr, €48.38 against €59), a small-group Colosseum and Roman Forum tour (€74.25), the Milan Last Supper Tour with skip the line tickets (1 hr, up to 20 people, €99), a Florence Museums tour of the Accademia and Uffizi (5.5 hr, €142), a Florence Duomo Opening Experience with Key Holder and Dome Climb (€164), a Palermo UNESCO walk (€30.80) and a skip-the-line Pompeii tour with an archaeologist (€50).

Day trips travel "in luxury vehicles" and "never large buses," the homepage says, or put guests on the company's own Vespas and electric Fiat Topolinos. Examples are the Small-group Chianti Vespa Tour from Florence (6.5 hr, €129), the Semiprivate Day Trip from Florence to Cinque Terre & Pisa (12 hr, €229), a Tuscany olive oil and wine day (7 hr, €149), a Cefalù and Monreale day from Palermo (9 hr, €80.10) and a private Etna excursion from Taormina (€210). The fleet page lists minivans, minibuses, Piaggio Vespas, Ape Calessino, Fiat Topolinos and vintage Land Rover Defenders.

Multi-day tours are priced on the homepage: a 6-day Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Capri trip (€3,050), an 8-day Sicilian Escape (€4,800), 8 days sailing the Aeolian Islands on a gulet (€5,000), 9 days from Pompeii to Apulia (€5,300), a 15-day escorted tour from the Alpine lakes to Rome (€9,200), and a 29-day Grand Tour (€19,990).

Booking, support and groups

Tours are booked online, and newsletter subscribers get "10% off tours on website." The company has an app with booking details and support. Customer care is open "Monday to Sunday 7:30am to 8:30pm" from April 1 to September 30 and 7:30am to 6:00pm from October 1 to March 31, by phone on (+39) 055 28.11.03 or by email. For companies, the team-building page offers cooking challenges and events in Rome, Florence, Milan and Palermo, citing "over 150,000 guests welcomed each year," and promises a tailored proposal within 24 hours. That page places the Rome school "inside the Palazzo Colonna complex" and the Milan one inside Mercato Centrale, and quotes a 45-person incentive group on a cooking contest it calls the Brigade Challenge. There are also FIT and group departments for tailor-made trips, and an affiliate program. The homepage claims "over 50,000 five-star reviews" and shows 15581 total reviews.

What to check, and who it suits

The homepage, about and contact pages do not set out a cancellation window or refund rule; the footer links to Terms & Conditions and an FAQ, which are the places to confirm them before booking. Minimum ages, dietary adjustments in the classes, and accessibility are not addressed on the homepage, about or contact pages.

Towns of Italy suits travelers who want to cook in a dedicated school rather than a private kitchen, in Florence, Rome, Milan or Palermo, and who like the idea of one company handling a class, a city tour and a Vespa day in the countryside. Its monolingual small groups and semi-private options appeal to couples and families, and its long multi-day tours to those who want a whole trip arranged. Travelers after a cheap drop-in class or a large-coach day trip will find it priced and pitched above that.